A solar and battery system proposed by Totally Renewable Yackandandah would be the first of its kind in Australia to be owned by the community. If the group can raise $150,000, it will install a rooftop solar system on a site in Yackandandah, which will charge a 250kWh battery during the day - enough to power up to 30 homes. This energy would then be exported into the grid and be available to customers using the Indigo Power community electricity retail offering. TRY has about $60,000 so far, including more than $11,000 raised as part of a new fundraising push through the Into Our Hands Community Foundation. IN OTHER NEWS: The plan earlier in the year was for something more extensive - a 1.5MW solar farm that would have been about 10 times bigger - but that had been dependent on a $700,000 grant from Labor if it won last month's federal election. TRY chairman Matt Grogan has encouraged people in the North East to get behind the new plan for a solar and battery system. "This is still a significant project, this would be Australia's first community-owned battery that exports out to the grid," he said. "We're pretty hopeful we can get it off the ground by the end of the year." TRY has a Yackandandah site in mind for the solar system, but it would still require approval from Indigo Council. Receive our daily newsletter straight to your inbox each morning from The Border Mail. Sign up here

Another Australian renewable energy first planned in Yackandandah

RENEWABLE PUSH: TRY chairman Matt Grogan says Yackandandah has the chance to show what real community action on climate change looks like, as the town aims to become 100 per cent reliant on renewable energy by 2022.

A solar and battery system proposed by Totally Renewable Yackandandah would be the first of its kind in Australia to be owned by the community.

If the group can raise $150,000, it will install a rooftop solar system on a site in Yackandandah, which will charge a 250kWh battery during the day - enough to power up to 30 homes.

The plan earlier in the year was for something more extensive - a 1.5MW solar farm that would have been about 10 times bigger - but that had been dependent on a $700,000 grant from Labor if it won last month's federal election.

TRY chairman Matt Grogan has encouraged people in the North East to get behind the new plan for a solar and battery system.

"This is still a significant project, this would be Australia's first community-owned battery that exports out to the grid," he said.

"We're pretty hopeful we can get it off the ground by the end of the year."

TRY has a Yackandandah site in mind for the solar system, but it would still require approval from Indigo Council.